Stepping into Standpoints: Indigenous Standpoints Guiding Decolonial Reflexivity in Business Education

In the face of ongoing colonial legacies embedded within education systems, this paper calls on non-Indigenous academics to seek out Indigenous standpoints as vital guides for the ethical and effective decolonisation and Indigenisation of educational practices. Rather than relying on superficial inclusion, meaningful transformation requires engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems as they are expressed through Indigenous Standpoint Theory (IST). These standpoints emerge in diverse and often non-textual forms, including story, art, yarning, data, and poetics, and offer grounded, relational insights capable of disrupting and expanding western educational paradigms. We argue that IST provides a powerful method for shifting how knowledge is valued and who is recognised as a knower. For non-Indigenous allies, this means entering into a reflexive, accountable relationship with Indigenous voices and perspectives. This paper outlines how Indigenous standpoints can guide the transformation of curricula, pedagogy, and institutional culture by challenging power structures and fostering inclusivity and relational accountability. Ultimately, we contend that IST is not merely an academic tool, but a pathway toward educational practices that honour Indigenous knowledge, advance self-determination, and contribute to collective transformation.